Painter Growth Podcast

Hosted by Mike Gore-Hickman

Business Entrepreneurship

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Episodes

344

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

If you are a growth-oriented painting contractor, this is what you need. Growing a painting company can be overwhelming. Should I buy leads? How do I price this? What type of marketing should I do? How do I find reliable painters? Join us as we explore sales, marketing, hiring, finances, leadership and more - everything you need to know to scale and grow your painting business. Learn how to get more leads, close more sales, hire more painters, grow your production and make more money in your painting business-all while working less. @paintergrowth on Instagram. Https://www.paintergrowth.com

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60 recent

June 16, 202645 min

Dream It or Doubt It: Coaching a Painter Through the Gray Zone

Most painters don't get what they want because they never actually decide what they want. They live in the "gray zone" — surviving, reacting, putting out fires — and wonder why the business keeps hitting the same ceiling.In this live coaching episode, Coach Jesse sits down with Damon, owner of On a Roll Painting, fresh off a record month: nearly $100K in April after doing $325K all of last year. On the surface it's a huge win. Underneath, there's a ceiling — a five-year vision he can picture but can't quite commit to, and the fear that shows up the moment he says it out loud.What follows is a real breakthrough, no script and no theory. Jesse walks Damon through the magic wand exercise to call out a specific number, confront the fear of success hiding behind the fear of failure, and step into the identity of the owner he's becoming — the one running a multi-million dollar business mostly hands-off, with the team, the systems, and the freedom to actually live.If you're a painting business owner stuck between survival and the vision you keep putting off, this one's for you.Inside this episode:Why getting specific beats staying "realistic"The magic wand exercise to unlock your real five-year visionFear of success vs. fear of failure, and why both keep you on the start lineHow the "$5M owner" version of you actually makes decisionsThe "on a roll" token: a simple way to interrupt stress and stay in momentumWhy your team only matches half your energy, and what that means for how you show upTrusting the next step instead of demanding the whole roadmap

June 9, 202653 min

Health, Fitness & Growing Your Painting Business

Most painting contractors pour everything into the business and quietly let their health fall apart — until one day they wake up as a shadow of the man they wanted to be. In this episode, Mike sits down with Sean Crane, founder of Unstoppable 365, to break down why getting your body, energy, and discipline right is the foundation everything else is built on.Sean shares the story most people never hear: battling addiction through his teens and twenties, spending five and a half years in prison, and using that time to completely rebuild his identity and his health — eventually building a coaching business that's helped thousands of high performers. From there the two get practical: why nutrition and training come first, how your blood work is really the "P&L" of your health, the real talk on TRT, peptides, and GLP-1s, and why food and phones might be the most underestimated addictions of our time.If you're a business owner who keeps telling yourself you'll get to your health "later," this one's your wake-up call.If this episode hits home, comment PLAYBOOK below and let us know your biggest takeaway.FOLLOW PAINTER GROWTHSubscribe for more conversations on building a painting business — and the life it's supposed to buy.Disclaimer: This episode is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making changes to your nutrition, training, hormones, or supplementation.

June 5, 202654 min

Build With AI or Get Buried: How Painters Get Ahead

AI is coming for accountants, lawyers, and every desk job first — but if you run a painting business, you might be holding the biggest advantage of your career.Mike sits down with entrepreneur Jason Paris to break down what AI agents actually mean for painting contractors — and why the painters who adopt now will leave everyone else behind. Real, in-the-field use cases: a custom sales proposal built in 5 minutes, a $10k website rebuilt for $3, AI before/after photos that win bids, and why the trades have the longest runway in the AI economy.It comes down to one choice: adapt, or get underbid.Want the systems we use to run Painter Growth? DM us "Playbook"

June 3, 20261 hr 4 min

She Never Touched a Paintbrush — Now She Runs a Company Across 5 Cities

She never touched a paintbrush in her life — now she runs a painting company across multiple cities in Colorado. So why does she say most business owners with money in the bank are still broke?In this episode of the Painter Growth Podcast, Mike sits down with Myrna, owner of CEO Painting Pro, for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to go from working IN your business to owning one.They get into the stuff most people won't say out loud:→ Why "just work harder" is the trap keeping painters stuck for 20+ years→ The uncomfortable truth about money habits (and why $100K in the bank doesn't mean you can afford your life)→ How coaching might be the most expensive thing you never do→ The heartbreaking story of a father who tried to clip his own son's wings→ Why she's on a mission to help painters get seen as business owners, not just subcontractorsWhether you run a painting business or any business at all, this one will hit different.🎁 Want to see what coaching actually feels like? Grab a FREE 30-minute coaching session — link below. No pressure, just clarity.📲 Connect with Painter Growth:🎙️ Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts — search "Painter Growth Podcast"📸 Follow us on Instagram ⁨@paintergrowth⁩ Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and drop a comment with your biggest takeaway. 👇#PainterGrowth #PaintingBusiness #BusinessCoaching #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusinessOwner #PaintingContractor #Mindset #BusinessGrowth #FromTheGroundUp #contractors

May 29, 202636 min

How Painters Can Get Exclusive Leads With No Upfront Cost — ft. Hisham of Leads Pilot

Tired of paying thousands upfront for ads that don't convert, or fighting over shared leads on Angie's? In this episode, Mike sits down with Hisham, co-founder of Leads Pilot — a pay-per-lead agency built specifically for painting contractors.Hisham breaks down exactly how Leads Pilot works: exclusive leads delivered via text outreach (not ads), no monthly fees, no contracts, and no commitment. You pay only for the leads you receive — and you can start getting them within 1 to 3 days of signing up.We get into:Why Leads Pilot was built as an alternative to Angie's and Home AdvisorHow they find homeowners and qualify leads before sending them to youWhy the pay-per-lead model works better for contractors just starting out and established businesses needing more volumeWhat to expect on a discovery call with HishamThe difference between good and bad leads — and how they handle quality issuesExclusive listener offer: Watch to the end for 4 FREE leads (double the standard offer!)Whether you're a newer painter trying to keep your schedule full or a seasoned contractor looking to scale without the risk, this episode is packed with practical insight on building a lead pipeline that actually works.🔗 Book a call: tryleadspilot.com

May 18, 202644 min

Beating Burnout: Leadership, Hiring, and the Systems That Set You Free

Coaches Jesse and Kit are back together for a raw, real conversation about one of the biggest silent killers in entrepreneurship — burnout. If you've ever felt like a zombie at the dinner table, dreaded picking up the phone, or wondered why growing your business feels like it's slowly breaking you, this episode is for you.Kit and Jesse dive deep into what burnout actually looks and feels like from the inside, why so many painting business owners treat it as a badge of honor, and — more importantly — how to escape it. The answer? It comes down to leadership: recruiting the right people, building strong comp models, creating unforgettable onboarding experiences, and crafting a vision so compelling that great people want to be part of it.They also tackle the #1 mistake owners make that keeps them stuck: holding on too long before hiring an admin, a field marketing manager, or a production manager. Plus, a great tangent on what it really means to deliver a 13-out-of-10 customer experience — from remembering a client's coffee order to letting a curious kid paint a little on the house.Whether you're grinding through your first few years or scaling toward a fully systemized operation, this episode will challenge you to stop doing more and start doing better.Key topics covered:What burnout really feels like (and why it's not a rite of passage)The hiring decisions that free you from the day-to-dayBuilding onboarding & training that retains great peopleCreating a vision that enrolls your teamThe "no man's zone" of customer experience and how to escape itThe power of weekly reflection

May 8, 202635 min

How to Hire the Right People for Your Painting Business

Jason Thompson, Director of Mitsuoka & Company Recruiting, joins Mike Gore-Hickman to break down what separates great hires from costly mistakes. From in-home sales reps to project managers, Jason shares how his team takes a custom, headhunting approach to find people who are the right fit, not just for the business, but for their own life and schedule too. If you're a painting business owner struggling to find reliable people this season, this episode is packed with practical insight on what to look for, how to assess candidates, and what it actually costs to work with a recruiting firm.

May 1, 202625 min

AI Native or AI Extinct: How Painters Can Win with AI Before 2028

Is your painting business AI-ready — or at risk of being left behind?In this episode of the Painter Growth Podcast, Jesse and Gavin break down exactly how painting contractors can start using AI right now to do more with less. From writing SOPs in minutes, to building a $100K+ partner outreach list, to automating your recruiting funnel, this episode is packed with real, actionable workflows you can implement today.73% of business owners say AI is critical to their business. Only 26% are actually using it. Don't be the one who waits too long.Topics covered:The best AI tools for painting business owners (ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Cowork)How to use AI to build partner lists and book hundreds of thousands in workCreating SOPs, proposals, and branded documents in a fraction of the timeAI receptionists that answer your phone and book estimates automatically🚨 Want to go deeper? Join us for the Painter Growth AI Summit — a live, 2-hour online session where we walk you through specific AI workflows for your painting business, from beginner to implementation.👉 Register now: https://live.paintergrowth.com/live-ai-summit

April 28, 202646 min

Brush Busters: Filtering Fake Leads, Building Flow, and Working with Family Without Losing Your Mind

In this raw and insightful episode of Brush Busters, coaches Jesse and Gavin dive deep into some of the most pressing (and personal) challenges painting business owners face today:🎯 How to filter out ghost leads without killing conversions🧠 The power of personal performance, fasting, biohacking, and recovery⚒️ Turning production chaos into SOP clarity (using AI to build systems faster than ever)👫 Navigating the emotional minefield of working with your spouse or family, without wrecking your marriage or your marginsThey also explore how to escape the “struggle phase,” tap into flow states, and why your phone might be your biggest operational bottleneck.From field-tested sales advice to honest talk about burnout, this episode will push you to think differently about your time, your team, and your own energy as a leader.🔥 Want to get more out of your leads, your team, or your own headspace? Press play now.

April 24, 202647 min

Trusting Profit: Job Costing, Production Rates, and How to Stop Scope Creep

Ever finish a job, see solid revenue, and still wonder where the profit went?In this episode, we break down how painting contractors lose margin during production, even when the estimate “felt right.” From prep work that quietly expands (patch turns into skim) to the classic “while you’re here” requests that bleed hours, the real problem is rarely effort. It’s the lack of a system you can trust.Jesse Teron and Josh Eldridge walk through a practical approach to job costing that starts before the job begins. You will learn how to forecast profit to the dollar, set budgeted hours your crew can actually execute, and build production rates based on an average painter so your top performers can beat the budget and earn more.We also hit the leadership side: how to hold firm when subs ask for more money mid-job, how to stop doing extra work for free, and how detailed proposals and clear exclusions protect you from scope creep.Inside this episode:Why “trusting profit” is really about knowing your numbersHow to move from job costing in arrears to forecasting materials and labor up frontProduction rate examples (hardy board, fascia, second-level work adjustments)How to communicate budgeted hours and deadlines to your crew without dramaThe breakdown that makes it easier to say no to mid-job price changesA simple boundary system for change orders so you stop donating laborIf you want cleaner margins, fewer surprises, and a business that scales without chaos, this is the playbook.Submit your question for a future episode at paintergrowth.com.